Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Kuching’s wonderful architecture

KUCHING: The heritage walk at the heart of Kuching city centre is a must for history, arts and culture enthusiasts.

With over 20 historical landmarks to explore, starting with the Tua Pek Kong Temple, opposite the Kuching Waterfront all the way to the Islamic Museum at Jalan P Ramlee some 2km away, one would get to immerse themselves in the life of early settlers and cultures in the city.

Along the route, the heritage trail would guide visitors to learn about early Chinese settlements and the Brooke era dating back over 150 years.

“The Heritage Walk trail has strong potential to be developed into a tourism product for Kuching city, especially to attract Chinese tourists,” Assistant Tourism Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin said after experiencing the heritage walk recently organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board.

He cited the Tua Pek Kong Temple, built in 1770, as the oldest in Sarawak. The temple sits at the foothill of Bukit Mata Kuching and originally overlooked the mouth of a small Sarawak River that has since been land filled, thus ensuring good fengshui features.

Among the main attractions at the trail included the Fort Margherita that was built in 1879 and has been turned into Brooke Gallery.

“Tourists can learn about early Chinese settlements in Kuching at the Chinese Historical Museum opposite the Tua Pek Kong.

“In the Main Bazaar area, we also have the Shang Ti Miao temple as well as the Kueh Seng Ong.